Tag Archives: central market cooking classes

Homemade Pizza and Pesto Pasta

October 28, 2009 By in Recipe Experimentation Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Last week my husband and I spent a wonderful evening celebrating our wedding anniversary! I decided to utilize the new skills that I learned at Central Market’s “Italian Fresh Pasta” class, and make some Pasta with Pesto and homemade pizza. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the wonderful Kitchen Aid attachments that I used in the class, so my trusty hands and rolling pin were the tools I had to work with.

Since I already made the pasta dough in class there were just a few steps I had to take before the pasta was ready for the pot.

**Side Note: You can use these same techniques with store bought frozen dough.

  • Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit until it reaches room temperature
  • Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until slightly soft
  • Cut the dough into fourths and roll out the pieces until sheet thin
  • Cut each large piece in half to make it easier to work with
  • Using a pizza cutter, cut the pasta sheets into thin strips, the size of Fettuccine

Once I finished cutting the pasta it was time to finish my pizza! I have to say everything turned out wonderful. We topped off the meal with a delicious Caesar Salad and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Give these recipes a try…they are delish! Continue reading →

Central Market Cooking Class – Italian Fresh Pasta

October 24, 2009 By in Techniques Tags: , , , , , , 3 Comments

This past Monday I took my second cooking class at Central Market, Italian Fresh Pasta, and it was Fabulous!! When deciding which class I was going to take next two things came to mind, my love for pasta, and my desire to squash my fear of homemade dough.

My one and only attempt at making my own dough was for a Cooking Light Chicken Pot Pie recipe. So many things went wrong with that crust and all I can say is that was just simply edible. I definitely wouldn’t fancy myself a baker and my lack of experience has kept me from venturing in to the world of homemade breads and anything in need of a crust. My pizzas always just turn out “okay” and I know it’s because of the frozen pizza crust that I use. I knew I could eventually wrap my mind around these recipes…it would just take some practice.

A pasta class seemed like the perfect solution to my problem. Not only do I love pasta, but I could take my new techniques and try my hand at other homemade doughs. When I got to the class I was really excited but a little apprehensive of the fact that we would be making our pasta in groups. I didn’t know how much I would actually be able to make myself. Needless to say the groups were necessary in order to prepare the amazing menu we would enjoy for dinner in just two and a half hours. Continue reading →

%d bloggers like this: